


my memories of you

by winter_mao_flower



Series: Nayuren Week 2020 [1]
Category: ARGONAVIS from BanG Dream! AAside (Video Game)
Genre: Childhood Friends AU, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, nayuta is also cute, no beta we just die, ren is cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27658097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winter_mao_flower/pseuds/winter_mao_flower
Summary: Ren remembers the promise he made with Nayuta when they were children. Their promise to meet again onstage and sing together. And now that he's able to see him again, he wants to fulfill that promise more than ever.
Relationships: Asahi Nayuta/Nanahoshi Ren
Series: Nayuren Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022374
Comments: 6
Kudos: 54





	my memories of you

_“Ren, let's hurry and go to the stage!”_

_“Hmm...won't it be boring though?”_

_Nayuta crossed his arms. “No! It'll be fun! You just haven't seen the-” He started coughing and Ren hurriedly pat Nayuta's back._

_“Nayuta-kun...well, if you say it's that fun then I'll trust you.” He knelt down and pat his back. “Get on. I'll take you there so you don't have to strain yourself.”_

_“I'm not that weak…”_

_“Mn, I know. But, if you don't save up all your strength right now, we won't be able to have too much fun. I'm also stronger than I look.”_

_“...Fine- but if you get tired then put me down. I want you to have fun too.”_

_Nayuta then carefully got onto Ren's back. He wasn't that heavy, so it wasn't hard to carry him and start running towards where the stage was. Once they arrived, Ren put Nayuta down, a small smile on his face._

_“See, look. We're here already. Nayuta-kun will be able to have lots of fun here too.”_

_“...Yeah. Thanks.”_

_“Mn.”_

_They gave each other a small smile before they heard the drums onstage. Ren watched as Nayuta's eyes started to sparkle in excitement._

_“Ren, it's starting!”_

_“...Yeah!” Honestly, Nayuta's excitement was infectious. He couldn’t help but get excited too._

_And then the music started and the band sang. A burst of color appeared on stage and flowed out to the crowd and it felt like- it felt like the colors entered his body so intensely he was almost knocked back onto his feet. His heart was racing and...this feeling...this feeling…!_

_He didn't want this feeling to end. Ren thought it would be boring but...in reality, it made him the most excited he's ever been._

_Before he knew it, it was over._

_“...Nayuta-kun!” Ren placed his hands on Nayuta's shoulders._

_“W-What is it?”_

_“That was amazing! Really amazing!”_

_Nayuta grinned upon hearing his words. “I told you it was gonna be fun!”_

_“Yeah! Nayuta-kun, I also want to be on stage like that and get this feeling again.”_

_“Me too- hey.” Nayuta pointed to the stage. “Let's both aim for the stage!”_

_“Both of us?”_

_“Yeah!” Nayuta’s face morphed into a frown. “..You know I'm leaving soon, right?”_

_“...Mhm…”_

_“...Well, how about this. Let's promise to meet again onstage. So long as we keep singing, we'll find each other!”_

_“...Okay! It's a promise!”_

_They both giggled softly as they wrapped their pinkies around each other._

* * *

“You said we would perform with Gyroaxia?” Ren's eyes sparked with excitement. This meant he would get to see Nayuta again...how many years had it been since he last saw him in person? He didn’t really know, but that didn’t matter much right now. All he could think about was seeing Nayuta again.

Wataru, “Y-Yeah...they called in just now and said they wanted us to perform as their opening act.”

“Nayuta-kun’s in that band right?” They would meet again...he was excited to see him after so long. “I want to hurry and perform with them…”

Yuuto looked a bit uneasy as he turned his head to Ren. “You know him?”

“Yeah! Nayuta-kun and I were childhood friends!”

“You guys were what?!” Argonavis shouted once Ren unceremoniously dropped the news onto them.

He blinked. “Hm? Yeah, is that so surprising?”

“You-” Yuuto was the first to respond to his question, flustered. “You two are _completely_ different though?”

“Mm...I wouldn't say completely different…I think we’re pretty similar.” Ren tilted his head as he received a strange look from Yuuto. “Though, Nayuta-kun might've changed. I haven't seen him in a long time.”

“I can imagine he changed.” Yuuto spoke and his voice was a little bitter.

Ren frowned at Yuuto’s tone of voice. “...Yuuto? Do you know Nayuta-kun too?”

“Huh? Uh…no…”

Wataru frowned. “...Reacting like that means you know something...You can tell us you know. It's not good to keep things bottled up.”

“...” Yuuto sighed after much deliberation (and maybe under the influence of puppy eyes from Ren, who wanted to know more about what Nayuta had been like since the other left). “Alright I got it- you don’t need to keep looking at me like that...You know how I was in a band in high school with a genius that had the whole band revolve around them? That genius was Nayuta.” 

He retold his experience with Nayuta and once he was done, Ren blurted out, “Nayuta-kun sounds like he changed a lot.”

Rio crossed his arms. “What was Nayuta like when you two were children?”

“Hmm...he was quiet around the other kids at school and rarely talked to anyone. The only person he'd actively talk to was me- but it might've been easier for us to get along since we were also neighbors. Oh and- he smiled a lot! He easily got excited over music and singing. Nayuta-kun was pretty serious when it came to practice too and he'd scold me sometimes whenever I messed up...but that's just how much he loved music.” He smiled as he remembered those times...he really did miss Nayuta.

_“Hey, Ren. You were a little off key just now.”_

_“Sorry…I’m not very good at it.”_

_“...Well, it’s fine. You can always get better. Let’s try this again.”_

_“Okay, Nayuta-kun!”_

Yuuto pinched the bridge of his nose, “Hold on...Nayuta...smiling?”

“Mn! His smile was cute.” He frowned as everyone else looked at him strangely, likely not being able to imagine Nayuta smiling...it was a shame, Nayuta’s smile really was cute. “But, if he's really changed...that's a little sad.”

“The Nayuta Yuuto knows and the Nayuta Ren knows are almost like two different people huh.” Banri played with his water bottle.

“Well…” Ren looked at Yuuto. “Um...I still want to perform with Gyroaxia, if that's okay. Even though Yuuto hasn't had a good experience with Nayuta, this is your chance to show that you've changed and improved, right?”

To be honest, the reason why Nayuta reacted like that was probably because he wanted and needed to see Yuuto improve more. At least, that's what Ren thought. Nayuta always worked for perfection and he worked the hardest after all, considering...

“He's got a point.” Wataru smiled, gently nudging Yuuto. “If he didn't want you in the band because of your guitar, then you can make him regret kicking you out now.”

“...You guys…” Yuuto grinned. “Alright, we'll take the opening slot and show Nayuta a performance to remember.”

Ren nodded, “Yeah!” His heart was racing at just the thought of seeing Nayuta again after so long. He wanted to show him how much he's improved too. 

But he wasn't expecting to see him so soon. 

During their practice day, Nayuta had forcibly opened their practice room and upon seeing Yuuto, scoffed. “So it's your band.”

Yuuto showed signs of being uneasy and tense, so Ren called out to Nayuta. “Nayuta-kun.”

Upon hearing his name, Nayuta turned to look at him with a glare, but it almost instantly disappeared when he saw him. There were conflicting emotions in his eyes - almost as if he refused to externally show what he was feeling on his face - and he was quiet before he eventually spoke, in a soft voice.

“...Ren.”

The unspoken words were there, all in one word. All in his name. _“So we finally meet again...I missed you.”_

“Mn. It's been a long time, Nayuta-kun.”

“You're performing with this guy?” He jabbed his thumb at Yuuto, not bothering to turn around to face him directly.

“Yeah, but, I'm sure he's improved since you saw him last time Nayuta-kun.”

They both quietly looked for...for something- but neither of them knew _what_ they were looking for. Nayuta looked into Ren's deep purple eyes while he looked at Nayuta's bright red. Ren found yearning and longing in the way he stared at him, the way his eyes flickered, the way his hand twitched and the way his foot lightly tapped the floor. And he thinks he understands _why_ the other was looking at him with that expression. Because Nayuta, since he left, has changed and built up walls around him - more walls than when they were just children - and he couldn't openly express himself to anyone else.

He must’ve been lonely.

“...Tch.” Nayuta eventually spoke again, his voice rough yet soft at the same time. “Whatever you say. I'm not gonna go easy on you just because we're friends.”

Ren smiled. “I know. Nayuta-kun takes these things seriously after all.”

“Hmph.” Nayuta looked like he was going to smile but he turned back around to leave before Ren could see. “...See you on performance day, Ren.”

“Yeah. I'll see you there.”

Once Nayuta left, there was silence in the room. As if no one knew how to react or what to say.

“...How?” Yuuto was the first one to speak.

Ren, “Hm? How what?”

“How were you able to…” He vaguely gestured. “Speak to him? Normally?”

Ren tilted his head, confused. “Um...I just spoke to him? It's easy to read Nayuta-kun too. It’s not like he’s a bad or intimidating person so…”

“Easy?!”

Banri pointed at him with one of the drumsticks. “I don't know if you could call communicating with him ‘easy.’ He doesn't seem to be very expressive.”

“But…” But to him, Nayuta's emotions were clearly written on his face. He struggled to explain the little things that gave Nayuta away- the flickering of his eyes, the light tapping of his feet, the twitch of his hand. All of those things were signs of what Nayuta felt. Not being able to find the words, he just looked at all of them and spoke in a soft voice, “Can’t you tell?”

“...No, sorry.” Wataru shook his head.

Yuuto shook his head, “I seriously think you’re the only person in this world that can read him that well.”

“Hmm...that’s a little sad.” Ren frowned.

Rio lightly scratched his head. “...So are we getting back to practice?”

Ren, “Ah, right! Sorry for the distraction…”

Yuuto shook his head. “No, it wasn't your fault. Nayuta was the one that suddenly barged in here. Let's get back to practicing.”

They ran through the song again and extended their studio time, making sure they got everything down in preparation of the opening live - as well as having fun during practice themselves - before they each headed home.

Ren couldn’t sleep that night, just staring at the ceiling for most of the time. He wondered what Nayuta was doing. Probably preparing for the concert. Even though it was late, he wouldn’t be surprised if the other was still practicing. He was serious about music even before Ren was. Nayuta even formed a band...a part of himself wondered if it was because Nayuta wanted to find him again. To hold up his promise to see Ren once more and meet him onstage.

Probably not. He might’ve forgotten about that promise.

But still, Gyroaxia was very popular. Everyone knew them. They knew who they were and their music would play almost everywhere now. There wasn’t a day where he didn’t hear Nayuta sing.

“I wonder if Argonavis will be like that too.”

If he closed his eyes, he would get taken back to the festival he went to as a kid with Nayuta. How they were both so absorbed by the music. How Nayuta’s eyes sparkled and reflected the glitter in his own eyes. He wanted that feeling again. Ren _would_ find that feeling again. He swears it. No matter how long it took.

...Now he really couldn’t sleep.

* * *

Ren had fun on stage. So much fun. As he sang, he looked for the camera, and once he found it, he smiled. To show Nayuta that he was having fun and that he’s come this far. To show him that he also worked hard to fulfill their promise and chase the feeling he felt at the festival back then. He laid out all his emotions and let them flow out and into the audience.

To where Nayuta was.

When they were finished, they headed back into the waiting room, excitedly talking about the live performance before seeing Gyroaxia there.

Ren, “Nayuta-kun.”

“Ren.” Nayuta walked towards the door, pausing in front of him, looking at him with a heated gaze, the corner of his mouth lifting up just slightly. “...You can do better than that.”

_“You did a good job. Now it’s my turn to show you my growth and change. Look forward to it.”_

“Yeah. I look forward to your performance, Nayuta-kun.”

The other members looked at each other in confusion- as if wondering if they were even having the same conversation. But before they could ask, Nayuta was already walking out the door to go onstage, the rest of Gyroaxia following afterwards.

Banri, “...what was that, just now?”

Ren tilted his head. “Nayuta-kun complimented me.”

Every single one of them had a look of confusion on their faces.

Rio, “That didn't sound like a compliment.”

Wataru rubbed the back of his neck. “I think it would be easier if we didn’t question Ren on his understanding of Nayuta.”

“Good point.” Banri shrugged. “If we do any more thinking about this, we might lose all our brain cells before our next college exams.”

Yuuto blinked. “Lose our brain cells?- Hey, Ren! Where are you going?”

Ren was already halfway out the room before turning his head to respond. “I want to watch Nayuta-kun’s live in person!” And then he left, quickly joining the audience in the very back. The guitar was already playing and...the energy was completely different from when Argonavis was performing.

As soon as Nayuta sang, it was like that energy slammed into Ren, wrapping around him. _Demanding_ that he listen to them. He was able to see varying shades of red around each Gyroaxia member, but the brightest red there was around Nayuta. The red wrapping around and flowing into him...it reminded Ren of the festival they went to together, a long time ago. It...shook him, and his heart beat faster and faster as he continued to watch.

“...Amazing…”

Compared to him, Nayuta was on a much higher level. Being able to get that feeling...that same feeling as before already. Just how much did he practice, Ren wondered. And...did he get any rest at all? Did he take breaks? How hard did Nayuta work to get to that level…? His feelings of wonder and amazement were mixed with worry. And before he knew it, the performance was over.

Ren immediately noticed that Nayuta was breathing harshly. That wasn’t good, even if Nayuta was pretending to be fine. He immediately rushed out of the audience to go see them, taking a water bottle on the way there.

“Nayuta-kun.”

“...Ren.”

“Nayuta-kun, here.” He handed the water bottle to Nayuta and waited for the other to take it.

“...” Nayuta stared at the water bottle before eventually taking it. “...Tch, you didn't need to do that.”

_“Thanks.”_

“Mn, I know.” Ren wanted to say more, but Nayuta was already walking away, avoiding the questions his bandmates had about how they knew each other. And he only watched them walk away. 

He was about to call out to them again, but he paused. He wouldn’t know what to say if they responded. For all his understanding of Nayuta, his overall communication skills weren’t...they weren’t that great. They were like Nayuta’s, but in a completely different way.

“Ren, let’s go.” Wataru smiled. “Someday, we'll meet them again onstage, so don't worry too much about it.”

Right. His original promise to Nayuta was that they'd properly meet again onstage. If he rushed it now, in a way, he'd be breaking their promise.

“Right, then let's go!”

If Ren could see Nayuta's face right now, maybe he'd see him struggle to contain his small smile. A smile that said: _“Yeah, we'll properly meet again onstage.”_

* * *

“We’re not performing with Argonavis.” Nayuta crossed his arms as he looked at Mashu. “I won’t do it.”

“Hey, Nayuta…” Kenta reached out for his shoulder before he glared at him.

Mashu in turn, didn’t flinch. In fact he stared down at Nayuta with those dead eyes of his. “Are you scared? Are you scared of Nanahoshi Ren surpassing you?”

Nayuta’s glare got more heated as he turned to look at Mashu this time, but the other didn’t flinch. It kind of pissed him off. “You think I'm scared of him surpassing me? Hah. What a joke. I'm not scared of Nanahoshi Ren, but we're not performing with Argonavis.” 

He turned and walked out from the practice room- away from wherever they were and back to his place. Scared of Ren surpassing him?

That wasn't it at all- well, he wasn't _scared_ of Ren surpassing him. If it ever happened, he'd have to work even harder, rising above him when they were on the same level. No, he had come to realize that _maybe_ he has feelings and _maybe_ he's not ready to confront those feelings yet. To fulfill their promise as children now...he thought he would be prepared to do that. Apparently he wasn’t. Not since he saw Ren again.

Ren's performance was still in his head. He was completely enjoying himself on stage, and he even looked for the camera and sang _to_ him. To Nayuta. To say that _“I worked hard to fulfill our promise together, are you looking?”_

And he was definitely looking.

It was because he was looking that he realized that he was _feeling_ something towards Ren but he didn't know what it was. His group had definitely noticed. They noticed that he was quieter, more bent on practicing. Because he was trying to suppress his feelings as much as possible. But still, he’d watch Argonavis’ lives, to see Ren, to see what he missed in seeing his childhood friend grow and he'd catch himself smile but not know _why_ he was smiling.

...Ren was good. If anyone could catch up to Nayuta, it would be him. But for now, it was him, and he'd keep it that way. Surpassing even himself, he'd reach greater heights. That was all.

A frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he resisted slamming the door as he closed it behind him. “Damn it…”

He sat down on the couch, letting Nyankotarou hop onto his lap as he scrolled on his phone, finger hovering over Argonavis’ very first live performance. Only Mashu was there, yet this was still recorded and posted. 

They were damn lucky Mashu found them.

Despite only having one person there, they still performed...if it were him, he’d leave. Gyroaxia and Argonavis were indeed two different bands. Two different levels, two different performances...almost everything was different.

Ren found a good band, one that suited him.

Nayuta just kept going through different videos, absentmindedly stroking the cat’s fur. Gyroaxia’s to check to see if there were any mistakes (he wouldn’t stand for anything other than perfection after all), and Argonavis’...to see Ren. Yuuto had improved too, but he just needed to have more confidence in himself and his abilities. That was the issue with him. He’d say he was trying but he’d never have the confidence in his skills to back anything up. No matter the effort, if you didn’t have confidence in your abilities you’d never get anywhere.

Apparently he didn’t take it that way.

It wasn’t the first time Nayuta was misunderstood. But he just accepted it. To see Ren again and have someone understand him despite his...lack of very good communication skills was refreshing.

As he was about to click on the next video, the doorbell rang. Now annoyed, he put his phone down and let Nyankotarou hop off his lap before he went to go see who it was.

“Who is it?”

Kenta’s voice came from the speaker. “It’s me.”

What was Kenta doing here so late? Was he here to talk to him about what happened earlier during practice? He sighed and opened the door. “Hey, what time do you think it-”

And then he saw Ren.

“Good evening, Nayuta-kun.”

“...Ren.”

Nayuta went back to sitting on his couch, unsure of how he should act when both Ren and Kenta were here. “...What do you want?”

Kenta pointed to Ren with his thumb. “Seems he wants to talk.”

“Talk?” Did Kenta tell Ren about how he said he wouldn’t perform with Argonavis? Well, they had to know the news sooner or later he guessed, but why did he suddenly feel cornered? He didn’t like it. He wants to know what Kenta told Ren about his decision and _why_ he made that decision.

“I…” Ren started to speak. “I like Nayuta-kun’s singing.”

“Hah?” Nayuta’s reaction was immediate- he wasn’t prepared for Ren to suddenly say that he liked his singing. Kenta looked confused too.

“When I heard Nayuta-kun’s singing,” Ren just continued to speak, not minding their reactions. “it got me excited, and my chest became tight.”

“!” He wasn’t- he was in a place where he could safely receive compliments like that from Ren. Flustered, he looked away. “...Ren, don’t say superficial things like that.”

“No, it’s not superficial. Nayuta-kun, do you remember the Festival we went to when we were younger?”

How could he ever forget. The way Ren’s eyes slowly began to sparkle as the music started, the way he smiled along with Nayuta, the way he...wrapped his pinky around his, promising him that they’d meet onstage again.

“...Yeah.”

“The passion we felt back then when we were children. I felt that in Nayuta-kun’s singing. I was shaken!”

What.

To Nayuta, who had loved music and had the festival as one of his favorite feelings and performances when he was younger, this was a very high compliment. And Ren…he was shaken? By his voice? If anything, _Nayuta_ was the one who was shaken.

“Singing can touch people’s hearts. Just like Nayuta-kun...if I could somehow do the same…”

If he could _somehow_ do the same? No way. Did Ren not realize that he had already touched people’s hearts? That he had touched _Nayuta’s_ heart?

“That’s why, I want to perform in tomorrow’s live. I want to sing on the same stage, in the same space as Nayuta-kun. So we can finally fulfill our promise to properly meet again on stage. I...I want to sing with Nayuta-kun!”

Nayuta also wanted to sing with Ren. He wanted to sing with Ren so bad he craved the feeling of being with him onstage more than anything else. But at the same time, he was in no way prepared to confront the feelings that lodged themselves in his heart. To face them right now or even tomorrow...he didn’t think he was ready.

But, he guessed he had no choice but to be ready. When Ren looked at him like that- with that much passion and determination, it looked like he couldn’t hold off on the performance anymore.

“If that’s the case, then sing right here. If you can shake my heart by even just a little bit, I’ll sing with you and we can fulfill our promise, Ren. If you can’t...you’ll have to wait until you can properly shake my heart.”

He _knew_ his heart was going to be shaken. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to prevent himself from getting shaken by Ren’s singing- he was _already_ shaken. But he would let him. Nayuta would let Ren shake his already shaken heart with walls hastily built up, let Ren shake him to the very core.

And they would perform together, whether he was able to sort out his feelings or not.

“I got it.” Ren nodded and Nayuta hears Kenta ask if Ren could do it. If he could shake his heart.

If only Kenta knew.

The moment Ren started singing, the fragile walls he had built up shattered immediately. It had shaken him even more than he was expecting- it was like...he was sent to another plane of existence- and he wasn’t exaggerating. If he thought that Ren would just shake him to his core, he was wrong.

Ren shook him until the core was broken.

Nayuta couldn’t move, he could only stare at Ren as his heart beat faster. This feeling...what _was_ it. He didn’t know, but the more he stared at Ren as he sang for him, the faster his heart rate went. He started noticing other things he hadn’t before- the fluffiness of Ren’s hair (and how he wanted to run his fingers through it), the shine in his eyes (and how they were like the galaxy), the sudden yearning he had to hold Ren and kiss-

At that last thought, he abruptly stood up, interrupting Ren’s singing.

“How...How was it?” Ren tentatively asked the question and Nayuta had to remember what he was doing in the first place. Right. Right he was supposed to tell Ren the results.

“...” He didn't say anything for a good while, and then in a soft voice, he said, “...Are you ready to keep our promise?” Because god knows Nayuta wasn't.

“! Yes!” Ren's eyes brightened immediately and he wanted to kiss him so bad...he glared at Kenta, who was still in the room for some reason.

Kenta seemed to get the hint and quietly left the room. Once he did, Nayuta sighed softly. “...Ren.”

“Yes, Nayuta-kun?”

“...No, it's nothing. I just…” He struggled to find the words as he slowly sat back down. “How have you been?”

Ren plopped onto the couch next to him, gently petting his cat that was now on Ren's lap. “Mm...I've been okay I guess. I haven't made any other friends besides you, and all I've done was sing at the karaoke place- you know, the one we’d always go to.”

“...” Nayuta would've thought someone like Ren would've made a decent amount of friends, but to not make any more after Nayuta left and only just making friends with Argonavis…

“Ah, don't worry! I wasn't lonely...I was too absorbed in singing and getting better in that to really notice.”

“You…” He felt his mouth twitch into a smile. He hasn't done _that_ in a while. “You're insane, you know that?” Nayuta said this, as if he wasn't the same. As if he also wasn't focusing on singing and getting better and better.

“No, I just really _really_ like singing. Isn't Nayuta-kun the same way?” Ren giggled softly before pausing and gently placing his hand over Nayuta's throat, a small frown on his face. His voice became softer, lower. “...Have you been taking care of yourself, Nayuta-kun?”

“...” Nayuta knew what he meant by that, and he had to turn his head away from Ren. He couldn't lie to him, Ren knew him too well and could see through any lie easily. “...I've been practicing nonstop. No breaks. I had to get better. I had to show-”

“That's not okay.” Ren's voice became sterner as he took his hand away from his throat. “Nayuta-kun...You should make sure to rest properly.”

Nayuta growled lowly, his hand clenching into a fist, making sure to be quiet in case Kenta was listening. “I don't want anything to hold me back. I'm not gonna lose to this stupid condition.”

“But...if you don't rest then you won't be able to sing at all.” Ren gently held Nayuta's hand and his hand felt like it was burning- but...not in a bad way he guessed. “...I can't force you to, but...please consider it.”

“...Tch. Got it.” Nayuta gently pat Ren's head before quickly putting his hand back in his pocket. “I'll consider it.” Would he actually rest? Probably not, but he'd feel a little bad about it. Just a little.

...Maybe resting once in a while was fine.

“...Nayuta-kun, um...why didn't you want to perform with Argonavis? Was it really because of m-”

“No!” He snapped his head to turn and look at Ren, before softening his voice. “No, it…” Well it was _partially_ because of Ren, but probably not in the way he meant. Not knowing how to place his words together, he sighed. “It wasn't because of you.”

“Then...why?”

Because Nayuta wasn't ready to confront any of his feelings for Ren. Everything he had pushed away came back in a rush and he just didn't know what to do. But he couldn't tell Ren this.

“It was because I didn't want to completely crush your band in that battle, that's all.”

“...” Ren didn't seem to be very convinced, but he didn't press the subject. Which was great. He didn't have to confront these feelings within him. Not yet. Not today. Tomorrow. “Um...you remembered our promise together…?”

“Yeah, of course.” How could he ever forget?

“I see...that makes me happy.”

A few moments of silence passed.

“Shouldn't you-” Nayuta stopped speaking and relaxed almost instantly when Ren gently pet his head in between his two hair tufts, his body now limp as he leaned against Ren, his face buried into Ren’s shoulder. He hasn't been touched there in so long his instant reaction surprised even himself.

Upon seeing this, Ren giggled softly as he continued to pet him as if he were a cat. Like his cat that was staring between both him and Ren.

“Nayuta-kun, you haven't changed. Your weak spot here is still the same.”

Nayuta grumbled softly, embarrassed. “Shouldn't you be going back to your band by now?”

“Ah.” His hand paused on his head. “You're right. They'll get worried. Do you want me to stay though, Nayuta-kun? You seem pretty comfortable.”

At that, he closed his eyes and sighed, trying to hide just how flustered he was. It was probably just a general question anyway. “We'll meet again on stage anyway. Go prepare for tomorrow. Satozuka's probably tired of waiting outside the door.”

“Okay…” Ren gently moved the cat off of his lap and stood up, giving Nayuta one more pat on the head. “I'll see you tomorrow, Nayuta-kun.”

“Yeah. Tomorrow.”

After Ren left, Nayuta threw himself into bed and let out a large sigh, his face buried into his pillow. His phone vibrated and he grumbled something like “who the hell” before checking his phone that just received a message.

_[???] Nayuta-kun!_

_[???] Kenta-san gave me your phone number_

What the fuck.

_did he say why [Nayuta]_

_[Ren] no?_

_[Ren] he just said that we probably_

_[Ren] needed some time to catch up?_

The wall was looking very tempting for Nayuta. Should he just knock himself out? No, he needed to respond or else Ren might get the wrong idea or something.

_we just caught up [Nayuta]_

_do you not want sleep or something [Nayuta]_

_[Ren] oh that’s true ｢(ﾟﾍﾟ)_

_[Ren] at least we have each other’s phone numbers now!_

_[Ren] now i can talk to nayuta-kun at any time!_

_[Ren]_ _(´ ω `♡)_

Nayuta wasn’t normally an emotional person, no. But Ren had just shook him to the point where his ‘core’ was broken and unlocked the feelings he thought he threw away. So maybe that’s why he wanted to yell into his pillow because he thought Ren was cute even over text. God. What was wrong with him. Maybe he just needed to sleep for real.

_any time we're not sleeping [Nayuta]_

_now go to sleep [Nayuta]_

_it's getting late [Nayuta]_

_save that energy for tomorrow [Nayuta]_

_[Ren] ah, right!_

_[Ren] goodnight then nayuta-kun!_

_[Ren] (｀_´)ゞ_

_night [Nayuta]_

If he hit his head repeatedly on his bed that night, that was no one else's business but his own.

* * *

Nayuta walked onto the stage right after Ren was done performing. Upon seeing the stunned expression on Ren's face, he wonders if he wasn't expecting him to stand there with him so soon. If Ren had momentarily got too into the singing to remember that they were going to perform together.

He wouldn't be surprised.

Grabbing Ren's wrist, he spoke into the mic with a low voice, his gaze heated. “You want to sing, right?”

Ren pulled the mic back towards him, looking at Nayuta with an equally heated gaze. “I want to sing!”

The crowd cheered as they continued to give each other a determined expression, reading each other. With a look that said “I won't lose.”

Nayuta wasn't ready to confront these feelings, he would never be ready. But he couldn't just stay still The him in the _now_ would perform with Ren and fulfill the promise. He wouldn't think about his feelings that would eventually crash until later.

Ren faced the audience and so did Nayuta. This was it. Their stage.

“Starting Over!”

As soon as they started singing, a huge burst of energy came from the stage. An energy even greater than any Gyroaxia stage surged through him. It clashed with Ren’s- if Nayuta's passion was burning, then Ren was cooling. But it was _because_ their voices and energy clashed that there was so much flowing out from them and into the audience. 

Their energy was the highest during the chorus, when they sang to each other. If he looked out to the crowd, they had surely shaken them. The audience's cheers were loud and by the time they finished, they were all breathing heavily. Nayuta, Ren, and Argonavis. They had all put everything into this song.

This feeling...it wasn't bad.

Though he also had the overwhelming desire to kiss Ren- like if he didn't kiss him then he'd die. Maybe that was exaggerating but it didn't feel like an exaggeration. So just as the other finished thanking the audience, Nayuta dragged Ren off stage, leaving Argonavis confused and quickly going after them.

“Nayu-” Ren was quickly cut off as Nayuta crashed their lips together, holding Ren tightly in his arms.

The kiss was messy and the crash kind of hurt, but they kept their lips together. All the passion they put out there onstage was also in their kiss. Their breaths became even harsher - Nayuta's kind of glad their mics weren't anywhere close to where their mouths were right now - and they parted to catch their breaths.

Ren was looking at him with wide eyes and Nayuta, upon realizing what he did, looked away only to see Argonavis stare at the both of them in shock. Oh right. They were there too.

But those thoughts were quickly thrown out of his mind when Ren pulled him back in a kiss and this one was- well it hurt much less for starters but it was equally intense. Nayuta bit down into Ren's bottom lip (mostly on accident) and the other let out a quiet gasp and-

“Alright you two, get off each other. Nayuta we still have a performance to get to. Catch your breath.” Kenta and Reon pulled him away from Ren, and for a second he was annoyed before realizing that- shit. Right. Gyroaxia still had to perform.

“...Let’s go.” Nayuta said in his normal tone of voice, as if he wasn’t just making out with Ren a few seconds ago. Speaking of Ren, when he glanced over, the other was touching his lips and staring off into the distance. His band members had to prod at him to make sure he was still alive.

Reon, “Listen you two can make out again later, but we gotta-”

Nayuta glared at Reon. “Shut up.” And then he walked out onto the stage, letting the audience cheer and the others play. The instrumental kept going for a while before he saw Ren in the audience, still a little dazed from before.

Once their eyes met, Nayuta pointed at him, microphone in hand. At that moment, Ren seemed to jolt out of his dazed state and his eyes immediately began to sparkle. It made Nayuta's mouth twitch into a smirk before quickly wiping it off his face, cutting off the music.

Time stopped for a few seconds before he leaned into his microphone. “Manifesto.” And immediately, the music started playing again, the energy flowing out into the audience as he performed.

They had to keep up the energy from the earlier performance after all.

* * *

Ren ran to where Nayuta was after the performance, throwing himself at him, wrapping his arms around the other and burying his face in his chest.

Nayuta almost stumbled and fell, but he was able to catch himself, looking down at Ren who was now at his shoulders. “...What's with you?”

_“It's nice to see you too.”_

He gave the other a wide smile. “I just wanted to see Nayuta-kun again.”

Nayuta snorted softly, trying to hide just how enamored he was- but even so it showed in his eyes and the way his hand twitched- as if he wanted to gently stroke Ren’s hair. “We _just_ saw each other.”

_“...I also wanted to see you.”_

The others had to run to catch up to him, only to stare as Ren was currently in Nayuta's arms. Gyroaxia was...not looking. In fact they were avoiding the general direction of where Nayuta and Ren were. 

Yuuto had his head in his hands, speaking as if he were dreading the answer. “So...when did you two get together?”

“Um…” Ren looked up at Nayuta with wide, sparkling eyes. “Just now.”

There was a faint blush on Nayuta's face, one the other was trying to hide- but he didn't really have to worry, because they were too focused on the news that oh. They weren't together until _just now._

_“What.”_ Reon stared at them. “You weren't together before this?”

Ren shook his head, “No.”

Yuuto had his head in his hands, “I don't know how to feel.”

“Then just don't.” Nayuta held Ren a little tighter as he said that, a mildly annoyed expression on his face.

Wataru blinked. “Did you just- tell Yuu to turn off his feelings?”

“Well, yes. That's what he said.” Miyuki shrugged. “I think he's the only one capable of turning off his feelings though.”

Nayuta grumbled softly, in a low voice so that only Ren could hear. “They're too damn noisy.”

He whispered back, “Do you want to sneak out?”

Raising an eyebrow, Nayuta blinked twice, as if he were registering Ren's words before whispering to him, “Sure.”

“Alright guys let's prepare to go back.” Kenta clapped his hands together. “We can't stay here for too long.”

“Ri~ght.” Ryo stretched. “But, the space energy here is strong, I'll miss it~”

Rio, “Space...energy?”

While they were talking, Nayuta and Ren quietly made their way to the door and, upon leaving, quickly made their way to the entrance- hopefully before anyone could notice. Once they arrived, they leaned against the wall, breathing heavily as they turned to look at each other. A smile crept up their faces.

“Nayuta-kun. I…” He trailed off before he reached out to hold the other’s hand. “I love you.” His words were soft, genuine, and Nayuta stiffened before slowly and carefully patting his head, a fond expression on his face.

“I...I like you a lot too.”

_“...I love you too.”_

“Mn.” Ren squeezed Nayuta's hand, needing no other words to affirm their love for each other. Because when they sang together, it was a declaration of love. He could feel it- even if Nayuta might not have noticed. And… “Nayuta-kun?”

“What?”

“Can you kiss me again?”

“...” Nayuta stared at him, before leaning down and gently pressing his lips against Ren's. “...Is that good enough?” It wasn't heated like it was before- rather, it was gentle and cool. It was nice. Really nice.

“Yeah. Thank you, Nayuta-kun.”

“...tch. Isn't this normal for people that are dating?” Nayuta was getting shy…

This caused Ren to giggle softly. “Nayuta-kun, you're cute.”

“Call me cute one m-”

“Cute!”

“...” Nayuta sighed, covering his face with one hand before ruffling Ren's hair with the other.

_“You're cuter.”_

“...I'm glad.” Ren blurted out suddenly. “That um. We were able to perform together.”

“...Yeah. It was a good performance.”

“Can we do that again?” His eyes sparked as he asked the question. “I want to be on stage with Nayuta-kun again.”

“...if we get the chance, maybe.”

“Promise?” Ren smiled as he held his pinky up.

Nayuta stared at the pinky before his mouth touched into a small smile. “Promise.” They wrapped their pinkies together again, feeling the same warmth they did during the festival years ago. And they'd keep this promise, just like before. They'd perform together again. He could feel it.

Ren wanted that day to come sooner. The day they'd perform together again on stage. But for now, he'd cherish the present and the “now” he shared with Nayuta.

...That thought was kind of cool, wasn't it?

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> nayuta and ren are so good together this prompt was vvv enjoyable! I hope you guys liked it too :D


End file.
